Bedding supporting apron



July 28, 1953 Hjl. BOWS BEDDING SUPPORTING APRON Filed May 6, 1950 1 /916? 50ZU5 INVEN TOR.

Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEDDING SUPPORTING APRON Harry I. Bows, Los .Angeles, Calif. Application May 6, 1950, Serial No. 160,536

built onto a' mattress, or combination mattress and box spring, which will function to receive or support the side edges of the bedding, in this way operating to prevent the bed-clothes from slipping off of the mattress. While this improvement is intended primarily for use on full-size mattresses, it is also a desirable improvement when applied to the mattresses of cribs, or smaller beds for infants, for the reason that the use of the improvement insures that the bed-clothes covering a child, will not slip sidewise in such a way as to uncover the childs body and possibly cause the child to catch cold.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an apron with means for maintainin it in a taut condition so that when a coverlet is used on a made-up bed having this improvement, the coverlet will cover the sides of the mattress or mattress unit without developing unsightly bulges along the sides of the bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will enable the apron to support itself at the corners of the mattress.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicient bedding supporting apron.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a mattress with which my improvement is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the apron adjacent a corner of the mattress, and shows the apron in cross-section, while the combination box spring and mattress to which it is applied, is illustrated in elevation. This section is taken about on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, and is a plan. of

a. corner of a mattress, and particularly illustrates the construction I prefer to employ at the comers of the mattress, to enable the'apron to support itself on'the mattress.

' 6 Claims. (01. 5-345) Fig. 4 is a vertical section upon an enlarged scale, and taken about on the line 44 of Fig.

ously around the periphery of the mattress. This has the advantage that either end of the mattress can be placed at the headboard of the bedstead in which the mattress is set up. In this case, the two sides and the lower end or foot of the mattress, carry the apron. In other words, at the head end of the mattress the apron may not function in accordance with my invention, but it will function on the two sides and foot end of the bedstead.

It should be understood, however, that my invention is not limited in its practice to the use of an apron that passes completely around the mattress, and in fact, the invention can be practiced by my providing an apron on one side, or both sides, of the mattress, and omitting it on the ends.

Referring now particularly to the present illustration of the invention, I provide a combination box-spring and mattress unit I with an apron 2 that preferably passes continuously around its periphery. In Fig. 5 I illustrate a typical section of the apron. The apron is formed of flexible material, preferably a textile fabric, and for the sake of conformity I prefer to employ the same kind and pattern of ticking that is employed in forming the sides and ends of the mattress. At the upper edge of the apron it is preferably provided with a stitched hem 3 that passes longitudinally and continuously throughout the length of the apron. At its lower edge, as indicated in Fig. 5, the material of the apron may be turned under the bottom of the box spring 4 that supports the mattress 5 of the unit, and is secured to the wooden bottom frame 6 of the box spring, by any suitable means such as'tacks, one of which is illustrated at l in Fig. 5. These tacks can be spaced at any suitable distance apart in securing the apron in place.

This apron is preferably constructed at the corners of the mattress with means operating to form a rudimentary socket or recess to receive the corners of the mattress, and in order to accomplishthis, I'prefer to provide at each corner,,resilient means in the form of short strips 8 of elastic webbing which is sewed into the hem.3 at all the corners. This elastic webbing or binding material should be sewed into position in a stretched condition, and the stitches 9 that secure it, are preferably run along near the upper and lower edges of the elastic. After the tension on the elastic strip is relieved, it will contract in length, and in doing so will form a crimp I or constricted corner for the apron, the under or inner side of which forms a rudimentary socket H. rudimentary socket receives the corner of the mattress, and the relation of the parts at the corner, are illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the location of the corner of the mattress is indicated at the point l2. In other words, when the corner of the apron is applied over the corner of the mattress, the constricted corner for the-apron, pulls itself up over the upper faceof-the-mattress at the corner somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 3. This enables the apron to support itself at the corners of the mattress. In putting the apron place, it should be understood that it should be first fitted down over the mattress, after which the lower edge portion of the apron is turned :under the bottom frame 6 and tacked to it, as illustrated inFigs. 2 and 5.

The mattress illustrated, is provided at its upper edge with a continuous bead l3 extendingaround and near the peripheral edge of the mattress, and this bead is formed of binding that is doubled over like a seam, at the sides of the binding; so the edges of the upper sheet of the mattress 5 at the side of the mattress covering, are secured.

Byreason of the use of the elastic means 8 in the apron, it will be evident that the side extensions 2a of the apron, and the end extensions 2b, will always be maintained in a tautcondition. This will insure that when the apron is on a combination box spring and mattress, the

apron material will maintain itself in a taut condition, and lie close to the side face 14 'of the combination mattress and box spring. In

thisway the pendant edge portions of the bedding willbe held closely against the sides of the mattress.

But when the apron is in use, its upper edges on the sides, can give sufliciently to enable the edge portions of the bedding to be received and supported thereby. In Fig. 5 the bedding is illustrated in dotted lines at 15, and the edge ment in a unit composed of the combination of a :box spring and a mattress having sides of ticking covering both of them, is that when a bed is being made up it is not necessary to tuck the edges of the bedding under the edge of the mattress. It is merely necessary to place them in the pockets on the sides. V

This is a great time saver for help in large hotels. It also avoids subjecting blankets and sheets to being folded into creases and'tucked under mattresses where they are subjected to considerable pressure when personssit on the 'edgeof' the bed.

-Many other embodiments-oi? the invention may ding; and means for maintaining tension in the upper portion of the apron.

2. The combination of a box spring, mattress and apron, according to claim 1 in which the apron includes a transverse end portion extending across an end of the mattress, and a side portion extending along the side of the mattress, said tension means located substantially at the junction of-the end portion and side portion for maintaining tension in the apron thereby being adaptable to hold the pendent edge portions of the bedding closely against the side of the mattress.

3. The combination of a box spring, mattress, and apron, according'to claim 1, in which the apron includes a transverse end portion extending across an end of the mattress, and a side portion extending along the side of the mattress and connected to the end portion, and said means for maintaining yielding tension is located in the upper portion of the apron, the lower portion of said closed edge of the pocket being formed by the said side portion being attached at the side of the box spring so as to close the said pocket below and be adaptable to support the pendent edge portion of the bedding that lies on the mattress.

I 4. The combination of a box spring, mattress, and apron, according'to claim 1, in which the apron includes a transverse end portion extending across an end of the mattress, and a side portion extending along the side of the mattress and connected to the end portion at a junction point, said tension means being located at the edge of the material at said junction to form the material into a socket to receive the corner of the mattress for supporting the upper edge of the apron thereon.

5. Ina box spring and mattress unit, an apron of textile material extending along the sides of the mattress beyond the edge of the mattress lying in a vertical plane, and attached at its lower edge to the box spring of the mattress,

resilient means located at the upper corners of ing end portions with hemmed free upper edges connected to the ends of the side portions to form junctions therewith, the ends of said side portions and said end portions .forming said junctions having tension means secured to the hemmed edges'of said ends, said junctions being adapted to conform to the mattress corners when applied thereto, said side. and end: portionsat said junctions beingadaptedLto fit over. the upper 5 edges of the sides and ends of the mattress on its upper side so that said apron is supportable therefrom, and being disposable in a vertical plane beyond the sides of the mattress in combination with means adaptable for attaching the lower edge of the apron along the sides of the mattress to form a closed pocket open above at each side of the mattress and adapted to receive pendent edge portions of bedding lying on the mattress.

HARRY I. BOWS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number 10 20,443

Name Date Wallace Oct. 18, 1932 Drexler et al. June 7, 1938 Shauer June 20, 1939 Clarke Sept. 10, 1940- Breslauer Nov. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1896 

